• A 'tips' article on how to use a product or service - could have a consumer angle
  
• Case studies - these are always very popular with business readers
  
• Interviews with industry experts
  
• Q&A column - this could include answers to questions readers have sent in
  
• Industry news, trends & statistics - sector-specific stats are always of value to business readers
  
• Interviews with key staff - if you are looking to put a 'face' on your organisation
  
• Listings - consumer or industry events, calendar reminders, photos from events
  
• Surveys
  
• Resources listings/links - quality links can be invaluable to readers
  
• Breaking news -a real benefit of email is the ability to include last minute content, such as important news.

Email is generally read online on a computer screen, so a simple layout, with clear navigation, is imperative. A table of contents is important for facilitating navigation.
'Scannability' is the keyword. Subscribers scan and make decisions quickly about what interests them, and what they’ll click on.
Five main articles (or topics) per newsletter is a good rule of thumb. It allows people to scan to quickly find what interests them, without getting overwhelmed.
Article word count should be kept between 300 - 700 words; 1,000 words maximum. One way to include longer articles in a newsletter is to provide a 'synopsis' or 'executive brief' of each (100 to 150 words per synopsis) on the front page of the newsletter, with a link to the full article.
In laying out a newsletter, articles should be prioritised, so that placement within the newsletter can reflect the most important information listed first.
Selective use of images - which have been compressed without sacrificing quality - adds colour and helps break up the text.

• Have the subscribe box featured prominently on your company’s website. Have it on more than just your homepage - have it on every page if possible.
  
• Have a live link to a subscribe form in your signature file.
  
• Include subscribe instructions in your voice mail and on-hold messages. Callers may be at their computers while on hold and might well do as you suggest.
  
• If you send printed material to customers, such as bills, invoices or statements, ask them to send in their email addresses if they wish to receive your newsletter.
  
• Promote your email newsletter through offline and online advertising.
  
• Activate a 'tell a friend' element in your newsletter, or simply remind them to forward to a friend.
  
• Use the meta tags in your newsletter, inserting meaningful keywords to help search engines such as Google catalogue your content.
  
• Try that old standby – a press release. Make sure to stress the unique benefits of your newsletter, giving the journalist a reason to mention it above all others.
  
• Pay-per-click Search Engine advertising. A method to intercept anyone actively searching for information relating to what your organisation offers.
  
• A sign up sheet at trade shows and at any presentations your company gives - make it clear what they're signing up for. When doing a mailing after such events, include text welcoming new readers, to help them remember why they're receiving it!

Accounting Comes Alive works in the traditional "Accounting for Non-Accountants" market but in a completely non-traditional way. Many of their clients - business owners, directors, managers, professionals and other key decision-makers - need increased accounting literacy because it is they (not the Accountants) who influence the bottom line as a result of the business decisions that they make each day.

Accounting Comes Alive has offices all over the world but only recently commenced operations in the Asia Pacific region. Mark Robilliard, Accounting Comes Alive's Co-Founder and Managing Director comments "We have been particularly pleased with the marketing kick-start provided by our association with Using The Net. Being non-technical, we really appreciated the friendly help provided to us by Using The Net. We were able to construct our first newsletter with a minimum of fuss and contacted our mailing list with one click. Using the statistics provided by Using The Net we were then able to see exactly who was opening our newsletter and at what point they accessed our website.
We found this information to be extremely useful in analysing our client activity and targeting future newsletters. Using The Net also provided us with a sign up function for our newsletter directly from our website. The result : we realised an almost immediate return on our investment when an international law firm contacted us for assistance as a result of reading our newsletter and accessing our website.